The Unconditional Kind
by GigglingGirl
Summary: Set in the first scene after episode 1. It plays out a scenario if Rachel hadn't had a miscarriage. It's my first fanfiction so I hope you like it. I do not own Scott & Bailey and no copy right infringement is intended. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

Rachel half-heartedly listened to her ex-boyfriend, Nick Savage, as he droned on about details of the payments of the flat she was soon to be getting. When he finally finished she began to tell him the news that Rachel really wished she didn't have to, "there is something else that you may or may not want to know?" The half-question slipped from her mouth as she waited for his reply.

"What?" Nick bowed his head in annoyance; he was fed up with her games. The sooner Rachel Bailey was out of his life the better.

"I'm pregnant." Rachel spoke the words very matter-of-factly trying hard to hide the emotion that had swelled up inside her, as she wished that it had all happened just a few weeks ago when she was together with Nick, trying to plan the rest of her life with him. She thought they were going to get engaged, certainly not break up.

"I don't believe you."

Rachel thoughts were suddenly reigned in as she heard Nick accusing her. She carefully controlled her emotions. She would rather be dead than him realise how much she was hurting. "Nine weeks." Rachel sighed, proving to him the reality of the situation.

"Well you can't be pregnant you're on the pill," Nick challenged Rachel, waiting for her response. Instead, she slapped the picture from her recent ultrasound down onto the table. Nick picked the picture up, and just stared at it, awkwardly moving it around in his fingers, touching it delicately. The photo brought back memories of his two sons, the happiness they had brought him. This quickly made him realise of the destruction this news could bring to his family. "Is it mine?" He suddenly and desperately questioned Rachel.

"It's you that puts is about pal, not me." Rachel spat, finally realising her anger. _'Who the fuck does he think he is?' _Rachel questioned herself.

"What do you want? What do you want me to do?" Nick stuttered, unsure what to say in the situation. "Do you want me to pay for a clinic?"

"We're assuming it's a termination?" Rachel spoke back, playing the game as she took a drink of the soda water that she desperately wished was laced with vodka.

"Well you can't want a baby!" Spat back, praying this was true.

"Why not, hm? Am I not the type?" Rachel still carefully controlled her emotions because she really wanted Nick to be shitting himself. She could feel the satisfaction sweep through her as she realised she was winning.

"You're ambitious, you…you've got a career!" Nick attempted to reason with Rachel, trying so hard to make her see what she would lose.

"Yeah, and I thought I was in a steady relationship with a responsible adult until a few weeks ago!" Rachel finally let out some of the hurt she felt, hoping Nick would see the mess he had caused.

"You planned it?" Nick questioned with vengeance.

Rachel began to lose her temper, cursing at Nick's arrogances, "as it happens, I didn't." She finally spat out. "I've not got much choice, have I?" Rachel gave in. "It's not going to be you haemorrhaging down the toilet, torturing yourself over what a murdering bastard you are, is it? No, that'll be me." Nick began to look uneasy again. Rachel almost felt bad for her comments; they had hurt her to as she listened to her fate being drawn from her own mouth. "Sorry. Was that a bit graphic for you? Anyway, thanks for that, Nick, along with all the other pleasant memories." Rachel took back the small sonogram photo, momentarily staring at it, longing for it. She placed in her bag, which she scooped up as she left Nick who was stunned by the conversation which could potentially changes his life so much.

~()~

Rachel tried desperately to Janet as she filled her in on the details relating to their latest case. She had picked up that the body was found on Saddleworth Moor on Friday night and that it was a woman, but that was all she could grasp. Rachel felt the nausea sweep through her body.

"Are you listening?" Janet interrupted Rachel's thoughts. Rachel managed to delicately nod her head, fearing that if she did anything else in would further induce the sickness.

"Are you alright?" Janet questioned becoming concerned about her friend.

"Just pull in," Rachel murmured, indicating to Janet. She leapt from the car with all the grace of a hippopotamus. She hurried towards the grass verge and felt the vomit be expelled from her body. She hung her head, trying to regain her breath. Rachel could her Janet's footsteps becoming louder as her best friend approach. She braced herself for the enquiry that was to come. Rachel turned to Janet and waited.

Janet simply muttered the words "late night?" forming a question that would eventually lead to a telling off as Janet loved Rachel dearly but severely disapproved of her gallivanting through the night, drinking away only to feel like shit the next morning.

Rachel tried once again to catch her breath and finally responded with "pregnant." She could see the shock filtering into Janet's face. "I'm, er," Rachel faltered trying, unsuccessfully to find the words she wanted. "I'm having an abortion on Wednesday," Rachel finally finished.

"Does, does Gill know?"

Rachel let out a sigh. "No. I'm going to get grounded." Rachel half joked, half worried. "I've booked the day of but not said why." Rachel removed the sonogram photo which had been nesting in her pocket and handed it to Janet who stared at it closely then looked up in confusion.

After a few, long, minutes had passed Janet handed back the picture to Rachel and they both returned to the car.

The remainder of the journey didn't take long, but it was infused with a painful silence. Rachel spent most of the time staring out the window, wondering what to do. She knew having an abortion was the most practical solution but it felt so wrong.

The silence continued until they reached the victim's, who Rachel now knew to be Susan Metcalf, front door. Then, all of a sudden Janet broke the silence, "why go for a scan if you're having an abortion?" Janet had finally asked the question that had been pestering her mind.

"I don't know" Rachel responded after a long pause. Rachel grasped for and gave one closest to what she believed to be the truth, "I wanted to know what it looked like."

~()~

"Hello?" Rachel answered the phone, her voice hoarse from crying.

"You rang?" Janet quickly questioned Rachel.

Instantly recognising her best friend's voice she began the conversation. "What are you doing for you anniversary? Can I come?"

"Is that what you rang about?" Janet felt confused. When she had received the text from Rachel, telling Janet to call her she felt it was a lot more than that. Anyway, it was a given that Rachel would be invited.

"You know giving birth?" Rachel finally proceeded.

"Yeah?" Janet answered, encouraging Rachel.

"What's it like?" Rachel could feel the tears beginning to well up. As she let Janet continue the conversation.

!Well…it's painful and you can't ever imagine how you are going to come out the other side without being ripped to thunder," Janet faultered, " but you do and its brilliant and beautiful even when you have your legs up in stirrups having ten thousand up ya…But that's the easy bit; it's the next five, ten, fifteen years that do your nut in." Janet tried hopelessly to joke, to try to make her friend feel better. "Rachel?"

"I can't do this." Rachel let out her cries, her desperation and tried to take comfort from Janet.

"What can't you do?"

"The baby, ya know, its flesh and blood and a brain and, and it's mine." Rachel couldn't understand how she could love such a tiny thing, that she'd never met. It was just a foetus.

"Do you want me to come over?" Janet suggested.

Rachel almost begged Janet. Janet was lovely, and promised to be over within the hour. Rachel lay on the sofa, feeling trapped by her own desperation.

~()~

"I'd rather be here. This why I don't want any fuss made over this bloody anniversary." Janet answered Rachel's question. She couldn't even begin to explain the mess of her home life.

"What? What is?" Rachel questioned, thinking she had missed something Janet had said.

"Ade!" Janet exclaimed,

"Ahh, did ya know he was a Geography teacher before you married him?" Rachel jokes, trying to add some lightness to the heavy atmosphere.

"I'd rather ignore it completely than have to go through the pain of watching him having to make an effort. I get home and instantly I'm on nursing duty: Lady Gaga is farting around upstairs with period pains and he's just sat in front of the telly." Janet let out the annoyance of her everyday life.

"You wouldn't be without you, though, would ya? Even when they are driving you up the wall." Rachel had seen Janet's love for her kids, Elise and Tasie, even Rachel really liked the.

"Rach, I can't tell you what to do. Whichever way you choses you'll still torture yourself after that it was wrong. You've been dumped on from a great height by a man who needs his head examined. Nobody envies you, the position you're in, and nobody will judge you for it, after." Jane t offered her sympathy and advice to Rachel.

Feeling helpless Rachel finally asked Janet, hoping for inspiration of what to do. "What would you do, if you were me?"

"I'd get rid of it."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After hearing the buzz of the doorbell, Rachel paced down the stairs and answered the door of her swanky, inner city, half-stolen, flat to see her sister standing there.

"You ready then?" Alison asked, chirpily. It was beyond Rachel how she managed to come out of the same gene pool as her sister.

"Just give me a minute, I have to grab the last of me things." She shouted behind her as she lead her sister up the stairs.

They began by asking each other the general pleasantries of 'hello' and 'how are you?', Rachel even took the time to question after how her niece's birthday went until Alison asked about Rachel's work. Rachel began to divulge the information of her latest case.

"Margret an' Barry Wheelin?" Alison questioned in her pitched voice as Rachel charged up the stairs.

"Don't tell me you've never heard of them? Brother and sister in the fifties, lived in a semi at Crompton. He's got Downs Syndrome." Rachel was beginning to tire of Alison not grasping what she was talking about.

Suddenly, Alison deeply inhaled as she finally realised what Rachel was talking about. "Oh God, that was awful."

"Tied her up, raped her, made him watch. Oh shut up, makes even me feel sick." Rachel tried to collect her thoughts. _'Anyway, it's more bloody likely that its morning sickness.' _Rachel thought to herself, she didn't the lecture she would be sure to receive Alison if she brought up her pregnancy.

"I don't know how you sit in the same room as 'em. Why do they do it?" Alison questioned, the thoughts bubbling up in her mind as she remembered more and more of the details of the murder that she and Rachel were discussing.

"Sexual curiosity, in his case"

"Well, were all curious at that age but-"

Rachel interrupted her sister, "yes Alison, he's sick, he's nuts, he's got a screw loose, he's a fruit loop." Rachel tried to search for further examples but eventually gave up. "But do you know what, she hasn't got a screw loose, his mother." Rachel exclaimed, then finally added, "mad bitch."

"What'll happen to her?"

Rachel paused for a moment, thinking. "She'll go down big time: assisting an offender on that scale, ten years."

Alison considered the information and then felt a wave for sympathy, "But, for the grace of God, it could happen to anyone, finding out your kiddies peculiar."

"You wouldn't keep quiet about the though, would ya? Something like that? A normal person at the very least would get drunk and blurt it out." Rachel hated the mother; she had caused the death of another mother, one who probably did care about her kids enough to report them to the police if they went fucking killed two people.

"You don't know what you'd do if it were your own kid." Alison's words stung as she realised she probably wouldn't, ever. The sickening feeling began to well up in her chest as she turned to look out of the window to try and get lost in the grey colours of Manchester.

"Come on, we're going to be late for the clinic." Alison interrupted.

~()~

Rachel stepped out of the car as they pulled up to the clinic. All she could see around her was women in varying stages of pregnancy, some carrying babies and other children. Her mind began to spin as confusion overloaded her. She finally the doors of the clinic and read the sign telling her where to go for terminations, but then saw signs for bereavement counselling, prenatal scans, baby check-ups.

All of a sudden everything became clear for Rachel, she couldn't not have this baby, she wanted this baby, she wanted to be able to look after this child and watch it grow. She turned round. Alison stopped and looked at her younger sister, confused. Rachel simply shook her head got back in the car.

Whilst waiting for Alison, Rachel placed her hands on her stomach feeling for her unborn baby and a burst of excitement flew through her: she was going to have baby.

~()~

Rachel walked sheepishly up to her S.I.O's office. She could feel her body filling with fear, she may about to tell her boss news that most people would congratulate you on but this was Gill Murray, Godzilla. She was a bitch. Finally, having mustered up the courage Rachel rapped her knuckles on the already open door. Rachel watched Gill's sparrow like head pop up upon hearing the sound.

"Aren't you having a day off?" Gill questioned. Rachel half wished she had taken today off as well, it's not like would have noticed.

"Err, that was yesterday." Rachel faltered.

"Oh, okay."

Rachel took a moment to wait for her boss to respond further but once Rachel realised there was going to be a response she brought herself further into the room and closed the office door, trapping the prying ears and eyes out. "Can I just?" Rachel hesitated trying to gather every last piece of courage she had. "I'm pregnant; I'm having a baby. So, obviously you need to know that." Rachel finally blurted out.

"Have you got a due date?" Gill questioned, slightly surprised, something which she had well if there was nothing else which had been more vital in the nearly twenty years she had been a police officer it was to know how to hide emotions and feelings.

"August fourth," Rachel replied.

"Slap bang in the middle of the annual leave season, great Rachel, well timed."

'_There it is.'_ Rachel thought to herself, there was the caring and kind boss she had just been waiting for to appear, she felt slight surprised at this reaction, she was unsure why. It was to be expected that her boss would react like this. But, then part of her thought that maybe, just maybe, her boss might give her some sort of congratulation.

Rachel quickly filled the stunned silence at had consumed her, "it wasn't planned." Rachel tried to offer this as an excuse, only later realising that this would that this would further fuel Gill bitchyness later.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Gill Murray turned to stare at Rachel. It was true she wasn't surprised that Rachel's pregnancy was planned, Rachel Bailey was bright, intelligent and a brilliant detective, but she was also rash and reckless, some less desirable traits in a detective, and probably on a person in general. But, she couldn't help seeing a part of herself in Rachel, even if it pains her to think that, let alone say it, not that she ever planned to.

Rachel tried to brush off the harsh words, however truthful they may be. "Anyway, when I get back I want to get on with my Sergeants exams."

The two women were suddenly interrupted by the ring of Rachel's mobile. Fumbling to get it out of her pocket Rachel looked at the caller ID, to find it was Melissa, the victim's daughter. She quickly pressed answer and pressed the phone to her ear and relayed the information to Gill. Rachel continued to listen to Melissa, whilst signalling to Gill, asking her if she can use her office phone.

They hear a knock at the office door and Janet enters, slightly confused due to the frantic situation she had just entered.

"Listen, Melissa, listen to me, I am going to ring you back minutes, alright? I'll find him. I'll ring you back in ten minutes." Rachel said, finishing the call. "Adam Metcalf gone AWOL with a can of petrol," Rachel said, trying to clarify the situation for both her boss and Janet. Rachel picked up the office phone and punched in the number, "DC Bailey, MIT. We've got a lad in custody for the murder up on Saddleworth Moor on Friday night. The victim's son is drunk and he's gone off on one, and there's a suggestion about going to cause some damage to the suspect's home address on the Walden Estate." Rachel spoke quickly and coherently down the phone. She then turned to her boss and Janet half whispering "I'll get round there myself."

"You're going nowhere girl! You're pregnant! You're going to sit down in that office and you're going to stay there!" Gill instructed her junior officer.

Janet's face was a picture of surprise. That last she had known was that Rachel was having an abortion. She turned to look at Rachel for some clarity but she was too consumed in sorting the situation out.

"Ah shit." Rachel finished the telephone call. "He's down stairs, he's put a petrol bomb through the sitting room window, mit-mot."

Where was Yasmin? The girl?" A deathly silence erupted. The three women were left hoping for this poor girl.

"Well, I assume she's round at the Auntie's house, she's only fifteen." Rachel tried.

Gill hurriedly went for the phone and Rachel swiftly moved out of the way. Gill spoke down the phone and quickly found out that Yasmin was in the house and as a result she was now dead. The three women were left standing there. Rachel was unsure who to feel sorrier for, the poor girl was now dead as a result of actions she had no control over. She had barely started her life. But then poor Adam, he was so overwhelmed by grief that he did the most stupid and idiotic thing he could possibly do and as a result he will spend a long time in prison. All in all it was a terrible outcome.

~()~

Rachel stood outside Janet's front door and prepared herself for the barrage of questions she was about to face. She knocked on the door just as some of the other lads from MIT turned up. Janet opened the door and they all greeted one another. Once the crow had dispersed Janet turned so Rachel, "So, go on?" Janet grinned.

"What? I don't know why. I got to the doors of the clinic turned round and came home. I think it was mainly because I couldn't stand to spend a whole day with our Alison." Rachel half joked. Janet gave a lady like chuckle as Rachel continued again. "So, I've told Godzilla and she said 'oh Rachel, I'm delighted for you, how lovely'."

Knowing her boss and old friend Janet questioned, "she did not!"

"Did she bollocks!" Rachel fumed, still slightly angry from earlier. "She said 'Oh August, well timed, knobhead.'" Janet giggled as she listed to the scenario and pictured the scene playing out in her head. "She's a bitch, I'm sick of her, she's a nasty miserable old…"

"Oh hi Boss." Janet interrupted as she watched Rachel face turn and look horrified, probably praying that her boss hadn't heard her ranting. "Classic! Yes, one nil!" Both women erupted into laughter as Rachel realised the joke that had been played on her.

"What was you and her laughing at the other day?" Rachel tried to prise the truth from her friends lips, as curiosity overwhelmed her.

"Oh, well…I'm not supposed to tell anyone." Janet began.

"But…" Rachel continued, encouraging her friend to spill the juicy gossip.

"But seeing as she never said 'well-done' to you last Saturday…" Janet began as she divulged the details of Gill's fortieth birthday party which resulted her running up and down the garden singing 'I Am Sixteen Going On Seventeen' at the top of her voice, topless. As more and more of the information was given to Rachel she could feel the giggles bubbling up inside of her until she let out a roaring laugh that sounded much like the ones that had erupted form her D.C.I's office the other day, which had started Rachel's curiosity.

As Janet drew the story to a close her tone became serious as she gave Rachel and insight into their boss' life, "the important point is that she is human just like us. So, if she doesn't always remember to pat you on the head or even basically be to you just remember that no matter how much pressure you're under, she is under about ten times more, alright?" Janet concluded hoping that Rachel would stop seeing one of her oldest friends in such negative light.

"She's still a bitch!"

"Hi Gill!" Janet suddenly interrupted

Not wanting to be fooled again Rachel furthered her criticizing, "an arsehole bastard, defective, Chief Inspector, Godzilla, bitch." Rachel finished suddenly seeing that this time Janet was in fact telling the truth. Rachel hung her head not wanting to look Gill in the eye.

Gill congratulated Janet on her anniversary and handed her a card before acknowledging Rachel by simply mentioning her name to which Rachel replied with "Boss".

Tasie suddenly burst the silence with instructing Janet that there was a call waiting for her, before promptly marching back up the stairs. Janet left the other two women to go and find a quieter place in order to take the call, charmingly calling "excuse me" whilst giving Rachel a good-luck-getting-out-of-this-one look.

Gill finally broke the tension, "I'd like to see you in my office first thing Monday morning." Rachel's whole body began to sweat but it would be over her dead body before she would let her D.C.I see how much she was shitting herself. "Right." She simply said, barely making any eye contact.

"And it will be going on your personal file." Gill continued.

"What will?" Rachel was now confused, she knew she could receive a bollocking for talking about Gill like that but anything more than that was unheard of.

"An email, from the Chief Con; I think you know his son, PC Rowan Rutterford." Gill began to quote the email, "'On only his second day of patrol, my son witnessed the most incisive, impressive, dynamic and inspiring piece of police work I have heard of in recent months. The reason he joined the police force was played out in front of him. Please pass on my congratulations to Detective Constable Rachel Bailey.' Well done Kid." And with that Gill walked off.

Rachel let out a sigh, feeling guilty for bad mouthing Gill like she had, only before letting out a giggle at the irony of the situation.


	3. Chapter 3

"You shouldn't be doing this." Janet warned as Rachel pulled the first box out of the dirty, white van they used to transport the shit load of police files they managed to accumulate during the course of their police investigation. 'Bloody Kimberly, and her meticulous love for filing.' Rachel began to think. 'Who could be flaming sad enough to love filing and manage to file this amount of papers?' Rachel rhetorically questioned herself as she pulled the first box, of many out of the van. Slowly working her way towards the back of the van she continued to ignore Janet. This was the first trip out of the office she had had in weeks and being pregnant was not going to spoil her visit to see Georgios Stelikos be nailed to the wall by his bollocks, or whatever Gill liked to say.

Rachel suddenly swore to herself under her breath as she picked up a box only to send it flying.

"What, take a chill pill, you! I don't know what the mad rush is?" Kevin exclaimed as he bent down to help his pregnant college, he glanced at her swollen stomach for just a second, shuddering a little: pregnant women scared him; Rachel scared him. The only good thing to ever come from more hormones in a woman's system was bigger boobs and that hardly felt like compensation for the amount of abuse he received from Rachel on a daily basis, even if it was just light hearted banter. 'Shut up and stop it knobhead, before she notices' Kevin said to himself, not wanting to unleash the dragon.

"Er, we've started." Rachel said, trying to restrain herself from telling Kevin how much of an utter knob he was.

"So what, he's guilty, he'll plead, it's a forgone conclusion. They're not even going to want to see any exhibits." Kevin quickly retorted trying to stop his mind from wondering.

"There's no way he'll plead." Janet added.

"I know he'll plead." Kevin said as if he was a sulking teenager.

"Even if he pleads for manslaughter, there's no way he will plead guilty to murder and rape." Janet contradicted, having seen cases like this hundreds of times before.

"I thought he was only charged with murder in the end!" Kevin practically shouted as he shot up from his previous crouched position.

Rachel released a huge sigh. 'Trust Kevin to miss a piece of information that big.' She thought.

"What's the point? He's not going to get anything extra for a two year old rape!" Kevin exclaimed.

"The point is," Rachel began, growing tired of Kevin, "he's a serial rapist. Gill doesn't want him sent down for twelve years for the murder and then back out and not on the sex offenders register." Rachel could completely see where Gill was coming on from on this one. The guy, Stelikos, was a rapist and he should punished accordingly!

"How come I missed this?" Kevin final questioned.

"It would have been when you were on loan at syndicate 5." Andy said, answering Kevin's question before Rachel could kill him.

"Look, we turned up another four women; they had all attended at St. Mary's and had all been sexually assaulted in exactly the same way as Maya and described Stelikos right down to his tattoos." Rachel finished as her hatred for that sick bastard swelled inside her.

"But, it was only Hannah Conway who was willing to come and give evidence." Janet continued for Rachel.

"But, why complicate a straight forward, in the bag murder charge with iffy rape charges?" Kevin questioned not understanding anyone's motivation for doing something that seemed counterproductive.

"He drugged her and asphyxiated her while he was penetrating her. That's not just rape, that's violent premeditated rape. And you think she should let him get away with it?" Andy answered; even he was getting more and more frustrated with Kevin.

Rachel and Janet finally finished unloading the boxes as the conversation quietened out, everyone thinking about the poor victims. Rachel couldn't think who had it worse, the ones who were still alive, like Hannah Conway, who had to spend every single moment with the memory of their own horrific night or Maya Woods who was dead, buried in the ground?

~()~

The Crown Court echoed with piercing click of heels on the tiled floor. The well-lit building was starting to look worse for wear as the orange seats began to fade and the white walls had a yellowish tint to them. It wasn't a nice place to be; not somewhere you would choose to go.

Rachel and Janet walked towards their boss having seen her exit one of the court rooms. Both women could feel a nervous tension within themselves. They prayed that this man would get sent down for what he had done. It was an in-the-bag, slam dunk murder charge.

"Good morning," Gill solemn words were laced with tones of irony because it truly wasn't a good morning. "I'm leaving you to it. I just wanted to make sure the prosecution said everything they were supposed to say in the opening speech."

"And did they?" Janet asked, praying the answer was yes because it was still far too early in the morning to have to face Gill's wrath.

"More or less." Gill replied, her voicing cheering up as she prepared to leave the two women. She walked between the two women showing her position as both women turned to look at her, hanging on Gill's every word. "Good luck ladies, not that you should need it, not with the murder anyway, bit a luck with the rape, maybe." Gill sang as she was about to walk way before Rachel interrupted her.

"Who's defending?"

"Nicholas Savage." Rachel's face drained of all colour, her hand unconsciously moved to stroke her swollen stomach, trying to protect her unborn child as she swayed on her feet. "Looks about as savage as a wet sponge." Gill joked. Janet gave out a false smile in appreciation of Gill's joke, trying to make up for Rachel's shocked and slightly horrified one.

"Detective Constable Bailey." A court official called out. Janet looked at Rachel who responded with a look that could only suggest one thing: shit. Rachel passes Janet her bag and headed into the court room. After spending over ten years in the police service she was now very used to court procedure. She went up to the stand, placed one hand on the bible, not that she was particularly religious, Rachel just liked what it signified, and took the oath declaring to only speak truthfully.

Rachel stood up in front of a full court room and tried to pull the sides of her blazer closer together in an attempt to hide her pregnancy from Nick who though she had had an abortion several weeks ago when in fact she didn't and she was so pleased she hadn't. Rachel had spent the time talking, singing and loving the baby that was growing inside her.

"DC Bailey," Nicholas Savage began as Rachel tried to avoid all eye contact without looking suspicious. After a long pause Nick continued, "You arrested Mr. Stelikos at 7pm."

"Yes." Rachel simply retorted.

"But he wasn't interviewed until the following morning, is that correct?"

"Yes." Rachel replied again, trying to remain calm and professional.

"Is it true that when he was put into the cell that you made a point of going with him, along with the custody officer?"

Rachel paused for a moment, "Er, I wouldn't usually do that once I had handed someone over to the custody Sargent, er no." Rachel said, wondering where on earth Nick was going with this.

"Perhaps I can jog your memory, is it true that you said to him as he was being locked up 'sweet dreams pretty boy'?"

The question echoed throughout her head. She didn't know what to do; she couldn't lie but if she didn't she could compromise the court case. 'Shit.' Rachel muttered to herself. Rachel stuttered as she tried to say the word "no". She could see the face of each member of the jury staring hard at her clearly not believing her.

"Do you recall not saying it?" Nick asked.

"I didn't say it." Rachel stammered.

"Mr. Stelikos, has made it very clear that that is what you said to him." Nick accused Rachel before continuing, "so you decided he was guilty before you had even interviewed him, didn't you?"

Rachel simply stared at Nick. She felt the hatred and anger resurface within her. "I didn't say it." Rachel persisted.

"And that's why you belittled him and spoke to him as you did, isn't it?" Nick asked trying to coax the truth from Rachel or at very least make her look incompetent in front of the jurors.

Rachel paused for a long time. She could feel every set of eyes in the court room turn to her as she tried to expel the words "I didn't from her mouth."

"And doesn't that typify your attitude to the whole investigation?"

"No." Rachel quickly retorted, saturating the words with confidence and defiance at his games.

"Didn't you and other member of your team close you minds to any other avenues of enquiry?"

"No."

"Did you ever, at any point, consider the possibility that Mr. Stelikos had simply gone for an innocent evening out?"

"The fact that Maya's drink was spiked before she left the club with the defendant, the fact that she had been asphyxiated and his semen was inside her after she left the defendant's flat…"

Nick quickly interrupted Rachel's speech, "please answer with yes or no."

"Meant that by the time we had identified him, he was clearly a person of some significant interest to us." Rachel continued regardless.

"So no, you never really considered the possibility that his version of events was true." Nick concluded.

~()~

Rachel stormed out of the court, trying to forget the humiliation Nick had just caused her. She quickly spotted Janet and walked briskly over to her.

"Did he spot the bump?" Janet queried.

"Er, I don't know." Rachel muttered. "I just perjured myself; I just lied in court!" Rachel whispered, the fear coming out with her words.

"How?" Janet asked the concern rising in her voice.

"It was nothing, it was tiny, it was just stupid." Rachel hurried out, her breathing rate increased as what she had done began to sink in. "He knew I had said it to Stelikos and it was the first thing he did so I was on the back fort, I was panicking through the whole thing, talking shite; babbling like an idiot."

"Detective Constable Scott" Shouted a loud voice summoning Janet to the court room.

"It'll be nowhere near as bad as you think, believe me. I've made right fool of myself in there before now. Hannah is downstairs with her victims support worker if you want to go and say hello to her." Janet finished as she dashed off into the court.

Rachel stood up and slowly walked towards the café in on the lower floor. She took each step with care, her legs shaking with fear. With each step Rachel took a deep breath, in and out, in and out, so that by the time she had reached the café she had regained composure.

"Hannah." Rachel greeted the young girl, placing a hand supportively on her shoulder.

"Told you I wouldn't you down!" Hannah breathed as she smiled at Rachel. Hannah had gained such resect for that woman. Rachel had allowed Hannah to feel like she was doing something right for once, helping other people by putting that fucking bastard behind bars. She could never thank her enough for that.

"Where's Sian?" Rachel quietly questioned as she dropped down onto the chair the weight being alleviated from her feet, then chucking her bag below the table.

"She's gone to the loo."

"Can a get you another coffee?"

"No thanks," Hannah said producing her hands, "I'm shaking enough as it is, look!" Rachel felt a wave of sadness was over as she could see the child in Hannah protruding through.

"It's going to be tough in there," Rachel warned as she watched the fear flood onto Hannah's face. "And you know he's going to bring up your past, but all you have to do is tell the truth." Rachel could see the irony, here she is telling Hannah to tell the truth when she is a police officer who has just perjured themself in court. "We may not get the rape conviction Hannah." Rachel said, trying to prepare the girl for the worst outcome.

"But we're gunna try?"

"Yea, damn right we are." Rachel's words were saturated with enthusiasm which she was trying to pass to the young girl sitting opposite her. "You remember that whatever happened in there, whatever the outcome on that rape charge, that maggot is going down for a long, long time for killing Maya."

~()~

The court room silenced as Hannah Conway stood to give her statement. Rachel tried to catch her eye to wish her luck. Rachel sat still as she listened to Hannah pour her emotions out into her words she could feel her eyes welling up with tears, Rachel put it down to hormones but part of her knew she had become close to Hannah and she wished and wished it hadn't happened to her. Rachel stroked her growing stomach and made a silent vow that she would never let any harm come to her…or him.

Nick stood up and Rachel could feel the anger rising inside of her. "Bastard," she muttered. Rachel listed to his questions as she began to feel even sorrier for Hannah because Nick was making her out to look shit. She could see Hannah looking over to her for help.

Rachel dropped her head as Nick mentioned her name. But she felt a pang of guilt as he started to use things she had told him in the privacy of their relationship. 'Shit, shit, shit.' She thought to herself as he revealed more and more details which she had told him privately, then feeling Janet's eyes piercing her skin as she had clearly worked out the truth. Rachel slumped down in her seat wishing the court session was over.

~()~

Rachel was engrossed in conversation with Janet, Hannah and Sian who were all trying to reassure Hannah that she had done a brilliant job and that it was all going to be alright. Rachel had rested her hand on the side of her bump pulling back her coat and revealing her pregnancy for all to see. However, she didn't realise this until she saw the shocked and gormless look that had taken residence on Nick Savage's face as walked out of the court room to see her standing there still pregnant.

Rachel excused her and stormed over to meet Nick. "You skating on such thin ice, pal." She warned, her words laced with vengeance.

"I thought you were getting rid of it, you get rid of it." Nick questioned as his voice rose to pitches well outside his range as he tried to whisper in his state of shock.

"It." Rachel repeated, hurt by how her baby's own father had the nerve to call them an 'it'. She paused trying to punch him. "Yeah, I was, but I couldn't." Rachel explained, not knowing much more herself. "Don't worry, I'm not going to sting you for maintenance because you to have anything to do with 'it'. And, if you continue to pull me to bits in there I will wreck your marriage and your career faster than you can say…" Rachel tried to finish before Nick interrupted her.

"Yeah, I am just trying to do my job, Rachel. And, you really shouldn't make threats like that." Nick slurred at her in a hushed whisper.

"You are using things that I told you in private!" Rachel snapped.

"You should have told me about the baby! You can't just make decisions like this!" Nick retorted back. "If…if it's mine…" Nick began.

"Oh, I love this if." Rachel mocked knowing full well that it was his baby. "I think your assistant is wondering what you are doing talking to a nasty, manipulative, bitch like me." Rachel said, enunciating each word then walking back to her previous conversation.

~()~

Janet and Rachel sat in the court room listening to the closing speech of the prosecution, both whispering a quiet prayer that the bastard would be put away for a very, very, very long time. As the prosecution finished Nick stood up to take his turn. As he finished his speech which solely used for the purpose of making the police force look bad Rachel and Janet both uttered the word "Twat" which summed up his speech and him entirely.

As the jury was sent out to discuss the verdict the two women decided to treat themselves by going to get coffee in an upmarket restaurant near to the court providing them with an easy return but saving themselves from another disgusting and repulsive excuse for a coffee that were served in the court café.

As the time passed Rachel amused herself, between toilet breaks which were becoming more frequent as her baby grew, by making a rather sophisticated origami swan out of an orange paper napkin. She was just finishing the tail by delicately make small tears along the end when she suddenly asked Janet, "did I tell you that Hannah once should me this photo of herself before…" Rachel paused, taking a sharp inhale before continuing. "Before he did what he did to her?"

Janet shock her head, finally looking up from her phone which she was struggling to use.

"She was really pretty. Had long hair, blonde, sweet looking. She had a life. And, she enjoyed it." Rachel said showing Janet how much this had truly affected her.

"Well, you know, perhaps when this delightful man is behind bars she can get it back on track." Janet spoke the words knowing full well the unlikely hood of this. Once a woman had been raped this first few weeks were pivotal in showing how well she would recover, although it wasn't the same for all women it was certainly what Janet had known to happen. Once you're on a trail of destruction it is bloody hard to get off it.

Janet tried to smile reassuringly at the brunette as she could see Rachel was nearly in tears. Rachel half reciprocated the look before being interrupted by her phone vibrating. "Jury's coming back in." Rachel announced.

"I'll get the bill, you phone Gill, she'll want to be in for this."

~()~

Gill, Janet and Rachel walked out of the court all shocked from the verdict, the verdict that should have been guilty but was delivered as not guilty. A man who all three detectives know inflicted those repugnant crimes onto all the women, including Hannah Conway and especially Maya Woods.

"Two years, six months, five days and I'll tell you what, days like today it can't come fast enough."

"You'd be bored out of your nut, inside a week you would be knocking on the door begging to come back."

"Oh, don't you believe it!" Gill said with hints of sarcasm. "Got any fags Rachel?" Gill asked the young detective, turning around to look at her.

"No, I'm not smoking, why?" Rachel asked as she stoked her hand protectively across her bump.

"Feel like one."

"You haven't smoked a cigarette in fifteen years!" Janet exclaimed suddenly shocked by Gill's behaviour.

"Yes I have!" Gill retorted defiantly, like a child arguing with their mother.

"When?" Janet continued.

"Days like today, Janet, days like today." As Gill finished she swung her head back around only to see Georgios Stelikos walking out of the court looking as happy as Larry, laughing and joking with his family. "Twat" Gill muttered under her breath.

All of a sudden Hannah Conway flew round the corner heading straight for the man who raped her. "You bastard! You shitting little bastard!" Hannah screamed as she lunged at Stelikos. The three women rushed forwards to try and pull her back whilst screaming her name. Rachel finally grabbed a hold of her and pulled her back as Hannah screamed "you're gunna die" at Stelikos.

"Leave it!" Rachel instructed.

"I'm gonna kill him!"

"No, no!" Rachel shouted as she tried to pull Hannah back by the grasp she had on her hood.

"You're gonna wake up dead arsehole, and it'll be me that's done it!" Hannah threated her hatred saturated the words.

"Oi" Rachel shouted as Hannah turned around and head-butted her in the face.

"Get off, bitch," Hannah begun as she focused all of her attention onto Rachel. "You lying little bitch! You told me that whatever happened on he was going down for what he did to Maya!"

"You back off lady!" Gill shouted as she interposed herself between Hannah and her pregnant detective fearing that if she didn't the situation would spiral out of control. "You do not do that to one of my officers! Ever!" Gill then turned to Stelikos as said, "go home."

Georgios Stelikos began to walk away staring at her before muttering "mad bitch."

This fired Hannah up again. " Come here you bastard! Come on! While I shit my brains." Hannah began to shout, not caring about whether she made any sense or not. Gill and Janet grabbed a hold of her once more, stopping her from lunging at Stelikos.

"Hannah, look at me, look at me." Gill said trying to catch the girl's attention. "Assaulting a police officer is three years. You consider yourself very lucky." Gill finished turning her head to Hannah's victim support worker and telling her to take Hannah home.

Gill then walked over to Rachel to see if she was alright before suggesting they all go and get a drink.

The three women returned to the restaurant when Janet and Rachel had spent most of the waiting for the verdict. Janet and Rachel left Gill to get the drinks when they went to the bathroom to try and sort Rachel out.

"Any better?" Janet questioned, feeling sorry for Rachel as she knew how much she cared about Hannah so for the girl to turn on her like she had must have been hard for the detective.

Rachel sighed, and then ignoring Janet's question said, "this is all my fault."

"What is?" Janet asked, confused.

"The whole thing, I gave him his defence." Rachel said trying to hold back her tears of frustration.

"No you didn't!"

"No Janet, I did." Rachel persisted.

"No you didn't. You did your job. You did what Gill told you to do. This was Gill's big idea to find other women that had been raped by him. You just went…"Janet persisted before Rachel interupted her.

"I used to talk to him about it." Rachel said as she could feel Janet trying to catch her eye while she stared into the mirror which was positioned on the wall across the sinks.

"Who?"

"Nick." Rachel said turning to look at Janet. "When we were investigating nine months ago, I used to him in the evenings, that's how he knew I said sweet dreams pretty boy, because I told him. He knew how I badgered Hannah to testify, I was nearly living on her doorstep at one point. He knew I was obsessed with pining stuff on Stelikos and I know it was all for the right reasons. But, I gave him everything he needed to construct that defence. And he got away with it, all of it, everything." Rachel finished her confession and the room collapsed into silence. Not being able to take it any longer Rachel questioned Janet. "What?"

Janet stood still for a moment longer before shaking her head. "He's a barrister and you're telling him stuff like that?" Janet asked so bewildered by Rachel's confession.

"No, he was my boyfriend. Do you not tell Ade stuff?"

"Ade's a Geography teacher. And no, I don't." Janet said hardly believing her ears.

"So…he was a barrister, how many barristers are there in Manchester, I mean come on, what was the odds of him representing that nasty little?" Rachel tried.

"Well clearly not that extreme because that's exactly what he ended up doing!" Janet shouted staring at Rachel's tearful face.

"Sorry." Rachel whispered realising what she had done wrong, realising that it truly was her fault that he wasn't trapped inside the four walls of a cell.

"Don't apologise to me, love; it's not my daughter that's dead!"

Rachel was left stunned. Janet was always a very calm and restrained person, Gill she could take this from but Janet, no, not Janet. Rachel tried to fill the silence that they were left in, "well….okay…"

"You wonder why Gill goes on at you sometimes? Hm? You still haven't made that leap yet, have you?"

"You what?" Rachel asked, now very confused.

"You're a detective; there are some things you don't talk about to anyone. Don't tell Gill what you've just told me because she'll leg you for it. You've seen the mood she's in; she'll have you of the MIT!" Janet elaborated, now shouting again.

Rachel tried so hard not to cry. She focused her eyes on the floor, not wanting to look at Janet, knowing full well that if she did she would burst into tears. Rachel sniffed deeply in trying, once more to compose herself but failing miserably.

"Look, shit happens. We're just going to have to move on."

"I just need to…" Rachel whispered, motioning to the toilet. She opened the cubicle door and then slammed it heavily. Rachel sat down on the toilet paused for a moment before emptying her bladder. She placed her head in her hands in despair.

Suddenly despair came over Rachel that knocked all of the days trouble out of the way: she was bleeding. "I'm bleeding!" Rachel cried.

"What?"

Rachel hurriedly opened the door and cried again,"the baby, I'm bleeding!"

Janet immediately took control of the situation. "We're going to the hospital, I'll drive you, I can get you there quicker." The women raced to the car, Janet stopping only momentarily to hurriedly tell Gill that she was taking Rachel to the hospital.

Janet filled the silence of the car with gentle reassurance, but she could see the colour draining from Rachel's face. Janet had to concentrate on keeping calm, for Rachel's sake, for the baby's sake.

Rachel sat with her hands tightly and protectively on her swollen stomach, trying to protect her unborn child as best as she could as Janet raced towards the hospital.

As they drew closer the women could hear the familiar sounds associated with the hospital: the sirens, the cars, frantic people, sounds of joy, sounds of sadness.

Janet parked the car and paused to ask Rachel if she thought she was able to walk into the A&E. Rachel simply nodded, as she tried to gather all of the strength she had and focus it on to making it into the hospital. Once inside the building she dropped into a metal seat unable to move any further. Janet seized the anxiety of the situation and caught the attention of a nearby nurse and began to explain the situation in her cool but urgent manner. "I have a 32 year old woman, she is 18 weeks pregnant and she has suffered some bleeding, she is now unable to walk and needs to be seen urgently." Janet finished and relinquished control of the situation.

The nurse hurriedly escorted Rachel to a cubicle and started collating all sorts of information: blood pressure, oxygen saturation, heart rate. Janet joined just as the doctor entered. "Hi, I am Dr. Robertson, we are going to get you for a scan as quickly as possible, I arranged for you to be taken by a porter to the prenatal clinic." The young, female doctor then had all the readings relayed to her by the kind nurse.

~()~

Janet stood by the bed as they waited anxiously to find the results of the scan then all of a sudden the room was filled with the 'chug, chug, chug' of the baby's heart beat as Rachel's child flashed upon the monitor. Rachel's heart filled with joy, her beautiful child was there, on the screen, alive.

The obstetrician took measurement after measurement finally concluding that Rachel's baby appeared to be healthy.

The doctor concluded that the baby was healthy but they still hadn't found a cause for the bleeding so the advised Rachel spent, at least, the next 24 hours on bed rest.


	4. Chapter 4

_I am aware it's utter crap and very dull, but I enjoy writing and hopefully the next chapter/one after should be more exciting. Sorry. Xxx_

Chapter 4

Supplies from the local corner shop in one hand Rachel fought through her handbag with the other in search of her keys. Once she finally found them, she identified the right key and pushed it into the lock but as she tried to twist it the stopped dead. After several attempts she dived into her bag again and removed her phone. She quickly found the number and waited impatiently for her ex to answer the phone.

"Rachel." Nick muttered down the line his voice hoarse from drinking and tiredness.

"What are you playing at? Have you changed the fucking locks?" Rachel questioned down the phone as she leaned against the wall in search of relief from her aching back.

"You stupid bitch." Nick laughed.

"Oh sorry, are we talking to me?"

"What were you thinking?"

"When?" Rachel asked trying to understand the conversation.

"You don't think do you?" You don't, do you? You just do whatever comes into your head next." Nick slurred angrily.

"Are you drunk?" The pregnant woman's voice rose as it filled with patronisation.

"Yeah." Nick answered with what seemed to be greed in his voice.

"Where are you?" Rachel asked as she started walking towards the lift that would take her from the building.

"Burger bar on Chapel Street."

Rachel walked as fast as her body would allow her. Anger and fear swept through her as she knew she was meant to be resting. After the short walk the detective stormed into the café. "We had a deal." She immediately began upon the sight of Nicholas Savage.

"Had." Nick echoed.

"What?" Rachel questioned bewilder as eased herself into a chair.

"Couldn't stand losing, could ya?"

"I'm sorry Nick, you are way ahead of me, I am struggling to keep up with ya." Rachel confessed with anger in her voice.

Nick broke of the condescending smile that had consumed his face to explain, "someone rang my wife and told her you were having my baby."

"Well it was me."

"Well then who the hell did, then?"

"I don't know, I have no idea!" Rachel exploded.

Nick paused, unsure how to continue as the revelation that it wasn't Rachel had shocked him.

"Why don't you try your Miss. Bimbo Junior Council? How well does she know Caroline? Because she seemed very interested when you came over to talk to me the other day. Not shagging her as well, are you?" Rachel pressed.

"Well anyway the upshot is that she knows and she's kicked me out. So, guess what? I need the flat back."

"Hand on a minute, you can't." The anxiety rose in her voice.

"Can't I? Why not? She's found out. You can't blackmail me anymore!" Nick laughed finding it hilarious.

"I have rented my flat out through an agency so I would need to give a month's notice if I wanted it back!." Rachel spat.

"If you are going to dish it out you need to be able to take it, don't you, Rachel?"

"I nearly lost the baby." Rachel reduced her voice to a whisper as she fear for her unborn child's life race through her. "Last night" Rachel added.

"This is all your stuff." Nick explained as he wafted his hand about himself. "I took the liberty." He took in her shocked face and then continued, "You didn't think it was mine did you?" He then stood up and simply muttered "bye" as he walked out of the door.

Rachel was left reeling when the young waitresses suddenly announced that the café was closing in five minutes. 'Brilliant' Rachel thought to herself as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Janet, he's chucked me out." Rachel simply announced into the phone; she wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.

"You're staying at mine. Where are you?"

"Outside the burger bar on Chapel Street." Rachel replied.

"I'll be ten minutes." Upon hearing this Rachel hung up and began moving the numerous rubbish sacks out onto the freezing Manchester street.

The beep of a car horn drew Rachel out of the day dream that had consumed her in the time she had spent waiting for her friend. The young pregnant woman jumped into action and transported her belongings into the back of Janet's car. The silence between the women was an unspoken but understood pact that was continued until their arrival at Janet's residence.

"Here you go." Janet stated as she showed Rachel the room she was staying in. "It's hardly the Malmaison but-"

"Ah no, I would've rung our Alison but she hasn't got room to swing a mouse. And, anyway, I would've had to talk and explain and go through it endlessly so…" Rachel dumped her stuff beside the bed and sunk down onto it. The strain of the day could be clearly heard in her voice.

"I'm glad you're here. Ade and I had a bit of a shouting match the other day and he's been sleeping in here ever since so it's no bad thing if he's forced back." Janet added a humorous tone to her stage whisper as she finished explaining in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"What's all this." Rachel signalled to the piles of what she could only assume were police files.

"Oh yeah, dig in if you're bored of an evening. It's that girl I told you about, you know, the one I was at school with."

"There you go boss." Taisie shouted to announce her arrival with the brew was holding.

"Has that got sugar in it?" Rachel immediately questioned.

"No." Taisie replied in the tone that all girls adopted as soon as they hit thirteen. Seeing the intent stare Rachel was giving her she let out a huge sigh and walked out of the room.

"THREE!" Rachel shouted, making sure she was heard. The two women erupted into a silent giggle at Taisie's performance.

"She loves you; she's do anything for you. You're right up there with Lady Gaga." Janet joked explaining her youngest daughter's affection for the young copper sat before her.

"I'm speechless." Rachel spoke with the tone that celebrities reserved for the most prestigious awards.

"You're pale. I'll go make you something to eat." Janet said as she adopted her mothering role.

"Thank you Janet" Rachel muttered as the woman left the room, then repeated herself more audibly making sure her thanks was heard.

~()~

Rachel switched the TV off. She had spent the time watching a pretty pink pig, named Peppa giggle her way through hours, upon hours of television. Rachel had forbidden herself room watching any form of desperate day time television, especially Jeremy Kyle, so all she was left with was Peppa Pig. Rachel didn't want to admit it to herself but she actually enjoyed it. Rachel rationalised it to herself as research. But it did worry herself that she laughed more than the pigs on the screen when the two piglets, Peppa and her brother, George chased each other around the room the boy holding a dinosaur screaming "RAWR" and the girl holding a doll screeching in mock fear! After spending twenty four hours lying in bed Rachel felt like she was going to die of boredom. She momentarily placed her hands on her stomach before picking up her keys: she had been given the all clear.

Rachel walked to her car swinging her keys in her hand. She slid into to the driver's seat put the keys in the engine switched the radio and belted out all the heart classics on the drive from Janet's to Oldham police station.

Rachel walked into the building twenty minutes late, missing the morning briefing, but that wasn't a change, however she knew she would be able to get away with it. As she walked past her S.I.O's office she saw a long finger bend three times. 'Oh shit.' Rachel thought to herself, realising that she may be in slightly more trouble than she had bargained for. Rachel stepped into the office like a nervous school kid.

"Rachel!" Gill exclaimed, "How is everything now?" the sparrow like woman asked, reducing her voice to a whisper. Gill motioned for the door to be closed and for the young detective to take a seat.

Rachel performed the actions and finished by answering the question, "I'm fine, the baby's fine, we're fine."

"Good." Gill answered promptly. "Well you can take as much time off as you need but if you want to keep busy I am just about to send Janet off to talk to the car owner."

"Thank you, Ma'am. Car?" Rachel questioned, but quickly put two and two together and realised that there must have been a new lead.

"Car, yes, what looks like, is, blood and all sorts of other gore is on the wheels, CPSO called it in." Gill answered clearing any confusion.

"Any chance she needs a hand?" Rachel ventured in a desperate attempted to escape into the fresh air.

Gill thought for a moment and then gave a quick shake of the head then automatically pushed her glasses back onto her face and resumed her glare at the computer screen.

Rachel heaved herself up and began to waddle for the door as her ever increasing stomach had begun to inhibit her from moving with any form of grace.

Distracted by the inordinate about of noise the Gill lifted her eyes and watched the young woman struggle to the door. "Oh and Rachel," Gill began.

"Yes, ma'am?" Rachel said spinning her head around, trying to show some form of respect without having to move.

"If you ever need to reduce your hours; if you need to start later, finish earlier just say." Gill offered.

"Erm, thanks, Ma'am." Rachel stuttered her words, surprised by her boss' sudden kindness.

Kevin felt his heart start to race as Rachel Bailey walked straight into his arms. He put it down to fear, she was pregnant after all. He felt a shiver race down his spine, 'hormones' Kevin thought, trying to rationalise his feelings. Those hormones had caused him so much fear as they raced through the young pregnant detective's body. But, however many times he interpreted the race of his heart and the shiver down his spines fear he knew that, deep down, it wasn't. "Core blimey Rach! Did you just kick me?" Kevin questioned jokingly holding the pregnant woman in his arms having felt a small jolt on his stomach where their bodies were pressed together. Kevin quickly broke off the intimate moment.

"This kid has quickly learnt who deserves a bloody great kick from time to time." Rachel answered back trying not to look as flustered as she felt.

"How are you, how is the kid?" Kevin asked, growing concerned after hearing the shock they had given the team the other day, Kevin knew it must have been serious considering Godzilla was concerned.

"I'm fine, she's fine." Rachel replied, wishing the attention could be diverted from her.

"'She', you mean the baby's a girl?" Kevin asked feeling the excitement growing inside him.

'Shit' Rachel thought to herself, she had planned to keep it a secret and there was no way she would be able to lie to the whole of the MIT team after this, they weren't in MIT for nothing, well maybe except Kevin. "Yes, I had planned to keep it a surprise but my baby clearly doesn't want it to be!" Rachel joked, a part of her was relieved at least she didn't have to keep it a secret.

"Oi, everyone, Sherlock's having a girl!" Kevin announced to the entire office causing a collective cheer to erupt.

~()~

As Rachel sat in the passenger seat of the unmarked police car she felt her annoyance rise up. "Do I not get to make any for my own announcements?" Rachel fumed. "I mean seriously, first the fact that I am pregnant, and then the one secret I have left is that I'm having a girl, a baby girl," Rachel paused for a moment reeled in by the knowledge that she was having a baby girl. "But then Kevin, bloody Kevin, the one detail he actually picks up on!" Rachel finally finished once words failed her.

Janet drummed her fingers on the steering wheel in hope of inspiration for what to say but then gave up and changed the subject. "I'm amazed Gill didn't send you home."

Rachel inhaled deeply before beginning, "no, erm, she said take off as long as you want. No, she was, erm, really sweet actually." Rachel could feel the tears building as she relived the fears of the previous night.

"Do they know why it happened?" Janet quickly questioned as she tried to keep the conversation rolling.

"No," Rachel began but then hesitated leaving a pause, "no they don't." Rachel finally elaborated.

"I'm sorry I was heavy handed with you the other day." Janet released the guilt that had been consuming her.

"No, no, no, no," Rachel raced, "I need telling, I…" Rachel drew in sharply as she felt a flutter inside her, she placed her hands on her rounded stomach, trying to reassure her daughter that she heard her loud and clear. "If it wasn't for you, I would've been back in uniform months ago!" Rachel let the words hand in the air whilst she tried to find the words she was looking for. "I am learning Janet; I will learn"

"Good because I'd be bored out of me tree without you to look forward to everyday!" The two women chuckled to themselves before sharing a meaningful look.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N To anyone still reading this, thank-you and sorry for not updating such a long time everything has been so chaotic and A-Levels are bloody hard. This is dedicated to Melissa because I actually told her this was being updated quite awhile a go and well it's now...! So, hopefully enjoy! **

Chapter 5

"There's so much crap on your desk Kevin!" Rachel complained as she knocked over of a pile of shit with her ever expanding stomach. She almost paused for a second contemplating whether to pick the stuff up but decided against the thought as quickly as it came; if she bent down she would have the baby down there in the amount of time it would take her to get back up!

Rachel had barely made it to her desk before Godzilla came hurtling into the office cawing her name. "Rachel!" The tone of her voice clear, the young detective knew she had to follow immediately. Once both women were in the office Gill quickly closed the door and began, "I've had a call from a Caroline Savage, does that mean anything to you?"

Unable to speak Rachel simply stood staring at her boss. The fear ripped through her body. 'That bitch.' Rachel thought to herself.

"I told her it's none of my business who my officers sleep with," Gill continued, "but, if she wants to take it to professional standards that's her call."

If the previous news hadn't shocked and scared her, this latest revelation certainly had. Rachel remained speechless for a few more moments before finally managing "did you?"

"Mmm, I gave her their number."

Rachel let out a sigh as she dwelled at the possible outcome. "And what will they do?"

"Nothing, it is none of their business who you sleep with either." Gill said, finally making it personal.

"I didn't know he was married." Rachel suddenly blurted as the guilt rose inside of her.

"Did I ask?" Gill said, clearing not believing Rachel.

"I didn't know, you can ask Janet. I was…I was gutted when I found out!" Rachel reasoned, but her voice was beginning to crack showing the emotion behind the words, also revealing the truth in the statement.

"And is it really that barrister that got that murdering, raping bastard, Stelikos, off we are talking about?" Gill exploded for all of this office to hear.

"Yes." Rachel whispered.

Gill suddenly took a step back and looked at Rachel for a moment before asking, "He's not the father, is he?" The disgust in her voice was clear. Rachel unable to answer for fear of sending her boss into even more of a disapproving rage just stood there not wanting to move, at all.

Gill, took a sharp inhale realising what the silence meant and then continued. "When I read the transcript of the court proceedings, which I did with great interest, wondering where the hell we went wrong, what I couldn't fathom, Rachel, was how much Nicholas Savage knew how much you'd badgered Hannah Conway to give evidence in court because that was the corner stone of his defence, almost, wasn't it? How we targeted that poor innocent man. And I was sitting there, reading it, thinking 'how the hell on earth did he know that? Who the hell on earth told him that? Not Hannah. Not you.' And then, this woman, out of the blue, rings me up and tells me that one of my officers is sleeping with the very man, himself." Gill let the silence hang for a moment. "In my position, Rachel, what would you be thinking?"

"I wouldn't jeopardise the case like that!" Rachel fumed, venting the rage she had built up against tht bloody bitch of a wife. "Look, I don't know how he knew." Rachel began, return her voice to a calmer tone. "Maybe he just assumed."

"Georgios Stelikos is dead because of that verdict. Sian Cook is gonna spend the next twelve years, or so, looking at the same four walls because of that verdict!" Gill shouted, trying to show Rachel the results of her actions.

"You still don't think I've made that leap, do you!" Rachel shouted above her DCI. "And I have! I don't talk to anyone about what we do." Rachel said, reducing the volume as she spoke.

"If I find out, at any time in the future that you've lied to me, you will apologise, personally to every member of this syndicate and Hannah Conway." Rachel tried to interrupt and swear her honesty but Gill continued regardless. "And you'll walk through that door for the last time. Is there anything I've said that you're struggling with?"

"No" Rachel muttered as she was shown the door.

"Tut, tut, tut. Sleeping with the enemy." Kevin joked, whilst shaking his head.

"Piss off Kevin! You'd shag road kill if it was still warm!" Rachel snapped as she picked up her handbag. She wasn't in the mood for his jokes; she was already struggling to keep back the tears.

"You shag one sheep." Kevin laughed as Rachel waddled out of the office, he couldn't help but stare.

~()~

"Oh God, I'm sorry." Rachel said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Hormones." She added. "I kept it together in there though I was not giving going to give her the pleasure."

"So what happened?" Janet questioned whilst she stood leaning against the sink unit. Her eyes staring, tactically, at the floor.

"That bitch of a wife has rung our Majesty up and told her that I've been at it with her husband, and course she's read the flaming court proceedings, because she's like mustard, in't she? And she's put two together and she knows that it was me that told Nick about Stelikos!"

"How can she know? She can't know, not for sure." Janet reasoned sensing the fear in the young detective's voice. She knew it was imperative that she kept Rachel calm, she was pregnant for goodness' sake.

"No, course not! Would I be stood here in one piece if she did? You know all I've ever wanted, all my life, was to work on MIT and if I lose this job because of that bastard I would…well I don't know what I would do, but it wouldn't be good."

"You've got to keep your nerve, keep your nose clean and keep your head down and move one; that's all you can do." Janet instructed the younger officer.

"Sian Cook is going to spend the next twelve years in prison because of that verdict. " Rachel told her friend as she released the guilt she had acquired.

"Sian Cook made a decision to kill; you can't take that on yourself." Janet finished before the two women jumped slightly at the sudden entrance of their boss.

"Oh hello!" Gill sang cheerily, equally surprised to see the two women. "Meeting in ten, get your brews ready, it's going to be long one." With this both Rachel and Janet left the haven of the women's loos and returned to the team's office.

Janet suddenly turned to Rachel and announced "I'm seeing Jeff Hastings tonight."

"He's the brother, in't he? Of Veronica?"

"Yeah, fancy coming with me? I run out of things to say after about ten minutes. Oh go on, it'd be nice."

~()~

"You know this morning when I went to get the coffees" The younger officer began.

"Yeah…"Janet probed.

"Well I bumped into this woman, Martine Cooper. She was on the jury in Bolton Crown Court for a robbery, seriously well organised." Rachel paused excitedly trying to form the story in her own mind. "I mean it went on for about two months because there was about a million people involved. There was seven defendants, seven lead barristers, seven juniors and that's without the CPS." Rachel exclaimed hurriedly trying to help her friend understand the situation. "And they all got sent down, all except for one. And guess who defended 'that one'." Rachel paused for a second before answering her own question, impatience getting the better of her. "Nick! It was Nick. But better, well not better, but Martine Cooper had a fling with him. He took her back to his flat, definitely, while the trial was going on. I got her to repeat it; she didn't seem to have a clue how bad that was." The jubilance in Rachel's voice was almost child-like. "They saw each other for a couple of months, and then, guess what: she found out he was married." Rachel concluded. The detective was triumphant. She would be able to get him struck off for this. She had the chance to fuck him over just like how he had done to her. All Rachel hear in her head was 'how do you like that, pal?'

"And his client got off?" Janet queried, trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle.

"Carl Norris." Rachel's short reply sparked a stunned silence. Her ex had managed to get the single biggest criminal in Manchester off.

"No!" Janet whispered in astonishment.

"Oh he was the big bollocks behind the whole thing. Everyone else got sent down, but they couldn't touch him!"

The women resided in the busy atmosphere of the pub before Rachel finally revealed the motive behind the story: "I could so get Nick with this."

"Yeah, you could. He'd get sent down; he'd never work again. But, before you do, you want to think about it very carefully." Janet answered cryptically.

"Do I? Why?"

"If you blow the whistle on him, he will be so thoroughly investigated he won't know what's hit him and the first thing that will emerge is that you PNC'd his car however many months ago for no legitimate reason whatsoever, Sherlock. " Janet stopped for a moment before truly turning into Rachel's mother. "And that's before he starts getting vindictive and starts highlighting other areas of your behaviour where you have been slightly shy of professional. Perjury, which he can't prove, but improper disclosure of information, 'sweet dreams pretty boy' to name but two. No. I am sorry Rach but he's got you by the wire wool as far as shopping him or nailing the delectable Carl Norris to the post is concerned."

Rachel sat for a moment in a slight state of shock. The news she had just been so excited about had been shattered in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.

"Here give that to Geoff." Janet passed her pregnant colleague the two beers she had just purchased and watched her waddle off to the table they had occupied whilst she stood at the bar waiting for the remaining orders.

Rachel eased herself onto the chair; she had never really appreciated the impact of pregnancy on women's everyday lives. She struggled going five minutes without going to the loo and stairs…the thought literally filled her with dread.

Janet quickly arrived with the last of the drinks: Rachel's cranberry juice and her wine. As she took her seat the fair haired detective was quickly bombarded with questions. It was a pattern that had been formed during each of their meetings, the only difference being that Rachel was now answering many of the questions. Janet couldn't help herself from beaming with pride as she watched her partner in crime, so to speak, race off into the depths of detail. It surprised her how well Rachel and Geoff had gotten on.

As the evening has drew to a close the two women started to make their excuses and head for their cars. Geoff remained in his seat: he had told them he was waiting for a taxi. Rachel suddenly stopped in her tacks.

"Where do you live Geoff?"

"Just off the Chadderton high-street, why?"

"Look it's on my way home I'll give you a lift if you like?" Rachel offered, her kind-side getting the better of her tiredness.

"Oh, well, that would be nice, thank you." Geoff gushed.

They walked out to her car and she lowered herself into the car and waited for her passenger to buckle up before they sped off.

"So when's she…or, or he due?" Geoff stumbled trying to make conversation.

"She," Rachel smiled the warmth and love protruding from her speech, "she's due in August, August fourth."

"How lovely, so are you off home to join the father?"

"No, no. Not at all. He's a knob. He doesn't give a toss. I found out he was married and well we haven't really spoken since." Rachel could see Geoff tense up assuming he had hit a nerve. "But it's okay I don't want him to have anything to do with our life." The young officer tried to compensate for the awkward tension she had just created.

"Do you have much family?"

Rachel almost let out a sigh. 'He must feel so lonely, what with his sister and mother.' Compassion was new thing of this detective and she wasn't really sure how to handle it so she ignored it and ploughed on with answering the question. "Well there's my sister but I don't really see her too much. She's too touchy-feely for me. We didn't really have that much in common before but I guess with this little one on the way, she has two kids."

"What about your mum?"

"I don't speak to her. No, she buggered of with someone when I was a kid and I don't want to know her anymore, or this one to." Rachel added as they drew up outside the address Geoff had described to her.

"Thanks, it's very kind of you."

"It was on me way."

"So have you seen the report and stuff about Veronica the same as Janet has?" Geoff queried.

"Well, I was staying at Janet's for a bit after I split up with this bloke, the father and I shared the spare room with these files, so I read 'em, not all of 'em."

"Yeah." Geoff simply answered, his voice barely coming out as a whisper. "Do you want a cup of tea?"

"Yeah go on then." Rachel was eager to find more out about Veronica and she saw this as the opportunity she had be searching for; somehow it seemed easier to ask Geoff about her than it was Janet.

Geoff led the way into his small terrace house and headed towards the kitchen.

"How long have you lived here?" Rachel asked leaning against the wall in an attempt to take some of the ever increasing weight from her feet.

"About six months." The answer came just as Geoff was adding the finishing touches to their teas.

"I must have just assumed that you lived at your mum's house."

"God no!" Geoff quietly exclaimed.

"Did you not get on then?"

"No, not really."

"It must have been tough after Veronica died." Half asked trying to be sympathetic.

"Well, yeah, yeah, and before." Geoff mumbled

As Rachel received the finalised brew her eyes caught the calendar. It was Rallson's Haulage. "Did you work for them then?" The officer's fingers momentarily freed themselves from her stomach, (which had been somewhere they had learnt to call home as their owner had wanted to feel as close to her unborn child as humanly possible), in order to point towards the calendar which had caught her eye.

"Oh yeah quite a while it was pretty much the only place have worked part from the little newsagents on the high-street."

Rachel took a sip of tea as her mind began to whirr. Connections and links being made everywhere it was hard for her to hid her excitement. The brunette quickly drunk her tea and made her excuses and quickly headed for her car.

The drive home was a little more careless then had recently been but her haste was derived from her exhilaration. When young Sherlock picked up on something, nothing was going to get in the way. Not even traffic cops.


	6. Chapter 6

**I am going to hugely apologise because I dread think how long it has been since I last updated this. Also this is a bit of a crap chapter and it mainly follows the lines of what happened in the show. **

Chapter 6

"Boss," Rachel began whilst she knocked on the open door; Rachel didn't want to waste a second. "Sorry, have you got a minute?"

"This is DS Latham from the National Police Improvement Agency." Gill answered introducing the young pregnant woman who had just wondered into the DCI's office, which was becoming increasingly cramped.

"Sarge." Rachel acknowledged finally taking in the beautiful man stood in front of her.

"DC Bailey." Gill observed the situation very carefully, her jealousy getting the better of her.

The Sargent stood up greeting the young woman with a smile and more informal "hi" before shaking her hand and offering the woman his chair.

"Hi." The DC breathed.

"What you got?" Gill asked knowing that this was the last place Rachel would want to be.

"I think I know who it is."

"Close the door." Gill commanded.

Rachel tried to jump up and do it but Chris quickly ushered her back into the seat and carried the task out before the detective began her story of how she found Geoff Hastings to be the killer. "He invited me in for a brew; I don't know why I went really, I don't normally take tea with strange men, but I didn't think he was strange. I felt sorry for him. He seemed like he wanted to talk and I thought I find out more about Veronica. So, we were talking and it turns out he's lived a very nomadic kind of existence. I did some digging this morning, when I was supposed to be doing something else." Rachel paused for a moment to guiltily look up at Andy, who she knew wouldn't be happy that she hadn't fulfilled the tasks he had set the DC. "And obviously I haven't had time to dig up tons but, he worked for this haulage company in Sheffield for a while, there was a calendar, so I called them. He was on a job in Eastbourne two weeks before Tracey Dickson's body turned up. East Bourne's what, it's twenty minutes away from Bexhill? And he was on a job in Sunderland a week before Alice Doers' body turns up in 1997. The other thing is: the news agents he works at is on the route Lynn is most like to have gone from her place of work to Chaddy swimming baths. Now I know we've looked at the CCTV of her route back from the pool to her house but did we look at the CCTV of her journey there, not from her house, but from work? See if she goes in his shop every time she goes swimming then that could be the nodding acquaintance that the profiler has told us about. He's insidious, this fella. Andy knows; he's met him. Last night without really thinking about it I told him where I lived, that I fell out with my baby's father, that I've never got on with me mother and that my sister's a touchy feely, left wing twerp: my whole life story. " Rachel exploded, breathless in the haste to get out the information.

"Let's get on to any CCTV of Lynn's journey to the pool." Gill instructed.

"Pick him up?" Her DS questioned.

"No, no yet, but get someone to draw up an arrest strategy for me, not Rachel: I need her. " Gill said as Rachel left the office taking out her phone in preparation to ring Janet.

"You are not going to believe this!" Rachel practically shouted down the phone, she swayed on her feet a little in the excitement but quickly steadied herself not wanting to harm herself, or her little girl.

"What?" She heard the voice of her best friend back down the phone.

"It's Geoff!" Rachel exploded.

"What's Geoff?" Janet queried.

"He's only looking like a knocking bet as being involved with Lynn and the last two on Tom Walter's list. I mean did nobody question him over Veronica?" Rachel listed for a reply but received none. "Janet?" The anxiety in Rachel's voice was rising and the silence continued. "Janet?" Suddenly the young detective could hear commotion in the background and what sounded like cried. "JANET?" Rachel shouted.

"He's cut me, Rach, and he's got a knife."

That was all Rachel needed to hear and she sped off towards Gill's office. "BOSS! He's there. He's at Janet's house and he's got a cut her."

Andy leapt out of the office.

"I'm coming." Rachel demanded whilst the DCI reported the information.

"You stay in that car if there is any inkling that Geoff Hastings is still in that house, you hear me?" Rachel nodded in conformation as she ran towards the car park. Everything else emptied from Rachel's mind. She didn't care about anything but her best friend. Her heart was pumping and every bone, every muscle in her body felt like it was on fire, trying desperately to stop her.

The car screeched away. But regardless of their speed nothing felt fast enough, each officer in that car knew that every second would count so they raced through traffic lights in an attempt to get there just that little but quicker.

The brakes let out an almighty sound as they reached Janet's house. Rachel didn't let a second to spare as she clamoured out the car as fast as she could. Nothing but Janet mattered to her now. The young detective's feet pounded against the ground in the sprint to come to her friend's aid.

As she turned the corner she saw Janet. She could see her. She was alive. Part of her felt so relieved. "Jan" Rachel screamed. There was blood and lots of it. Rachel ran into the house and propped Janet against her. Held her in her arms, they were in their own world. Rachel pressed her cheek into Janet's head, mothering her, like she had done so many times for Rachel.

Janet couldn't move, she could barely breathe. She could feel the beating of Rachel's heart in her ear and the kicks of her baby against her back. It felt so natural. But her fears chocked up inside her. "Don't let them put me on a slab, not naked. I'm not having a post mortem. Promise me, Rach." The breathlessness in her voice was increasing but she managed those words, they felt so important to her, so necessary.

"You're not gunna die you silly buggar; if you die I'll fucking kill ya." Rachel whispered. Her voice was tense and saturated with anxiety. She tried to keep the tears that were rapidly forming back, knowing they wouldn't help.

"Say it." Janet half pleaded, half demanded.

"Come on!" Andy shouted as he took Janet from Rachel's clasp.

Once Rachel was in the car she received Janet again. The wounded detective's head again rested on the bump that housed Rachel's unborn baby. The young officer was terrified; you could see it in her eyes: they were filled with terror. She draped her arms around her partner, protecting Janet in any way she could. Rachel looked up and shared an anxious glance with Gill. Things weren't looking good. Rachel suddenly questioned Janet, "Hey, I hope you twatted him back!" She whispered in her ear, her fingertips gently stroking Janet's arm.

"Yeah." But the words were barely managed and Janet was quickly drifting off.

"Parted his hair for him…gave him a bloody headache." Rachel tried to joke but she wasn't even fooling herself."Jan?" Rachel anxiety grew with the lack of response. "I need you to stay awake, Janet. That's an order from me to you, mate. You've got to stay awake, please Janet." Rachel's pleas were helpless. Her tears finally began to roll down her cheeks. She held her friends head close to her chest, resting it on her ever growing stomach. She softly stroked Janet's hair as her tear drops fell.

The brakes screeched as they arrived at the hospital. They abandoned the car as Andy carried Janet in. The confusion of the situation was unnerving and before long the three police officers were made redundant.

~()~

Rachel gripped her stomach. She was scared. She was shaking. She needed to sit down but she couldn't. The cold wind stung her skin. Her eyes glanced over to the reception of the hospital where she watched Gill walk out. Rachel caught Andy's eye and they walked over to meet their boss.

"What?" Andy managed. He had spent the time motionless, staring at one fixed point.

"Nothing," Gill replied. "She's still in resus; they're prepping her for theatre."

"I wanna get out of these fucking clothes." Rachel choked as she motioned to her blood stained dress.

"Well you're just gonna have to wait – you're part of a crime scene." Gill paused and looked over to her DC; Rachel's skin was pale and she was shaking. Gill knew she couldn't let this continue. "Get yourself inside. You're in shock. We need to have you checked out." The DCI watched her young officer; Rachel's eyes were unblinking; spaced. "Rachel, listen to me: this is not your fault, kid."


End file.
